


Teddy Lupin

by wordswehavesaid



Series: Queer Headcanons [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Genderfluid Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 08:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6747127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordswehavesaid/pseuds/wordswehavesaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A conceptualization of the character as genderfluid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teddy Lupin

**Author's Note:**

> And to wrap up my series where I imagine characters in various fandoms as queer, either in identity or sexuality, we're back in the HP fandom. I hope you all enjoy!

Teddy Lupin was born the son of Nymphadora and Remus Lupin, but was the child raised by Andromeda Tonks, Harry and Ginny Potter, and a whole slew of Weasleys. He inherited his mother’s hard-working nature and metamorphagus abilities and his father’s wit and appreciation for pranks.

Teddy’s Grandmum Andromeda always praised him for his abilities, as he developed and learned to control them even faster due to his family’s previous experiences with his mother. He also exasperated them to no end on outings, slipping away from the crowd of mostly redheads and changing his appearance in order to wander as he pleased. He was no longer Teddy Lupin, war orphan and godson of the famous Harry Potter, he could be anybody he liked. He made it a game, giving himself a new name and a whole new story each time. Lucas, Danny, Sarah, Evan, Abby, all normal kids who who were having a bit of fun while waiting for their parents to come get them. Teddy always returned to the group eventually, and he didn’t see the harm.

But most everything else Teddy did growing up was with his best friend, Victoire. The two of them would play along the path to the ocean by her home in Shell Cottage, or on the grassy fields surrounding the Burrow, and talk and laugh about everything. They play Quidditch, they play Aurors, they play dress up. It doesn’t matter what to Teddy; everything is just as fun with Victoire. Victoire shows him how to pull on her Aunt Gabriella’s old dress robes while she wears her mothers, Teddy brings his mum’s old Wireless, and the two of them dances around to old Weird Sisters songs. Sometimes Dominique comes along but little Louis turns up his nose and tells them it’s girl’s stuff. Teddy doesn’t much see how it matters.

Teddy is the first of them to go to Hogwarts, much as Victoire begs her parents to let her attend with him, which makes him feel all kinds of warm inside. The entire Weasley-Potter Clan comes to see him off that first year on the train along with his Grandmother, and later some of the boys in his dorm ask if he’d been embarrassed. But remembering that last tight hug Victoire gave him along with his promise to write, both his Grandmums kissing his cheeks, and Harry’s proud smile, he can confidently say no. He also loves being in Hufflepuff, his mother’s house. It makes him feel closer to her, just like his Grandmum’s stories, and he wonders if she would be proud of him, if they would laugh together and watch each other’s hair turn all shades of vibrant colors.

But though he makes friends in his house and year, he is admittedly disappointed when Victoire is sorted into Ravenclaw the next year, yet proud of her all the same. Victoire is so very clever, after all. One of the prefects in his house tries to offer him some comfort, how he really wouldn’t be spending much less time with his best friend now that the inter-house common rooms had been added to the castle. It wasn’t as if they’d be sharing a dorm or anything. Teddy remembers nights spent camped on the floor of the Burrow lying across from each other and sighs.

Whenever Teddy rushes to Victoire’s side in the common areas or at the tables for lunch, he hears the sniggers of the boys in his year, but he doesn’t much mind. So his best friend is a first year, what does it matter? He and Victoire have always understood each other better than anyone else. Teddy likes listening to her talk about her dorm-mates and about Gracie Hopkin’s adorable kitten, or how Victoire showed up all her year-mates at their first flying lesson and how she couldn’t wait to mail Uncle Charlie and Aunt Ginny all about it.

Being the eldest of the Potter-Weasley Clan, yet also strangely outside it with his telling Lupin name also means he is the designated baby sitter of the motley crew of kids as they all grow older. He loves spending time with all the children, empty as his Grandmum’s house can seem at times, and dutifully learns how to take care of all of them. Aunt Hermione insists on fun, educational activities and bedtime stories for Rose and Hugo, while Uncle Ron slips him some treats to give the children after their dinners, Aunt Ginny tells Teddy to stick up for Lily when her boys are being too overbearing, Uncle George mostly asks him to keep Fred and Roxanne out of his workshop where he keeps the prototypes of future products, and Uncle Percy has a spreadsheet of what to do and when. 

But it’s from Aunt Audrey that he learns Lucy and Molly will not go to bed without a lullaby. Teddy does his best to memorize the little tune and concentrates very hard on sounding just like the girls’ mother as he sings one night. Lucy smiles and kicks her feet a little before turning onto her side and falling asleep. Little Molly reaches up and curls a tiny fist around Teddy’s hair for a moment, which has unconsciously grown past the shoulders to hang over the crib, just like Aunt Audrey’s. Looking in the mirror reveals a rather pretty girl, maybe not as pretty as Victoire but then who is? Teddy thinks she looks like an older version of Sarah, one of the personas he used to take on roaming the streets of Diagon Alley. Teddy quite likes the way Sarah looks, the way Teddy looks _as_ Sarah. Sarah takes on the customary bright blue hair that is Teddy’s trademark and that looks even better!

The ‘Sarah’ look stays and it’s Sarah’s more delicate fingers that hold the quill and write the Potion’s essay assigned for the summer hols. Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey return home, but when the former does a double-take Teddy suddenly feels as though he ought to shift back to his customary appearance. Aunt Audrey Side-Along apparates him home and Teddy goes straight to bed without bringing up what happened to his Grandmum. But he can’t stop thinking about it.

He waits until the first Hogsmeade weekend of that year to try something similar again. This time it’s ‘Abby’ who roams among the little shops, a home-schooled girl with her strawberry-blonde hair in a little bun the way Teddy’s seen Victoire do for Dominique. Abby makes friends with some of the girls in Hufflepuff with Teddy, and one of her - or rather Teddy’s - dorm-mates offers to buy her a Butterbeer before she - or rather Teddy - makes her excuses to leave the Three Broomsticks. It’s all very confusing. She doesn’t think - well Teddy wouldn’t like to lie to Jeremy and letting him buy a drink seems especially dishonest - but as Abby she had a lot of fun. 

Abby and Sarah continue to make appearances throughout the Hogsmeade visits and over the sumers, which becomes more and more difficult once Victoire is a third year and wants to spend the trips with him. To make up for it, he tries once to introduce Victoire to Sarah. Victoire rather enjoys her a lot and remarks that she reminds her so much of her best friend, Teddy Lupin, and Sarah grows uncomfortable before excusing herself. She’d thought Sarah was just a disguise, but if she really is so similar to Teddy, what does that mean? Of course she’s still Teddy, but how can Teddy be both himself _and_ her?

It’s not until Teddy is a fourth year that he finally tells his best friend what happens when he slips off every so often. He’s a nervous, hand-wringing mess, and he apologizes profusely for lying - how disloyal and awful he’s been - but Victoire just laughs and tells him she already knew. “Just because you change your looks doesn’t mean you are any different to me. My parents have taught me to see past appearances, you know.”

“Well, yeah, but Victoire it’s- it’s more than that. I…I feel different, when I’m Sarah or Abby. Like I’m still me, but I don’t just look like a girl, I feel like a girl. And I like that, sometimes. I still like being a boy, but…bloody hell this sounds mad.”

“I can’t say I know exactly what you mean, but I’m glad you’re trying to figure it out. If this is what makes you happy, Teddy, then I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

He thinks, looking back, this might be the moment he falls in love with Victoire Weasley. That love only grows as Victoire accompanies her to Hogsmeade or out to Diagon Alley during the holidays and helps her buy clothes that fit and look good on her more feminine forms. Being with Victoire allows her to be herself without it being a lie and it feels _wonderful_.

Once they start dating, however, Teddy feels it can’t lasts. “I’ll understand if everything…the other sides of me, are weird,” he tells her one summer night once they’ve snuck away from the others. “I can just be Teddy, if that’s what’s ok for you.”

Victoire rolls her eyes. “If I wasn’t ok with it, do you think I would have agreed to date you? Besides you make a very  _jolie fille,_ ” she informs him with a smirk. 

Teddy blushes, and the shift into the ‘Abby’ look is completely automatic and natural as she asks, “You think so?”

“I _know_ so.” And Victoire leans in to give her a quick peck on the lips.

They make tentative plans to tell their family once they both have graduated Hogwarts. Victoire knows how much it pains Teddy to keep this from everyone yet at the same time how much he fears their reactions. If it doesn’t go so well, at the least they’ll be adults and allowed to make their own decisions. But until then…they live in hope that their family can accept every side to Teddy. After everything the Potter-Weasley’s have been through, can that really be so much to ask?


End file.
